As technology advances, so does marketing. Let’s admit it, that’s pretty quick. As a business, you must be where your customers are. There is no point trying to change habits for purely financial reasons. It won’t work. Strategy is important for success and forecasting and acting upon marketing trends offer an unlimited potential for profit. If you can predict where people are going to be in 3, 5, or 10 years, you can be the first to be there and the first to be seen. So, where exactly is marketing heading? I’ve presented my predictions without any timeline in mind. But, if my predictions don’t happen or at least start to happen within the next 5 years, I would be[…]

Wolverhampton is a staple city for virtually any place in the country. It is full to the brim of high-profile brands who draw the crowds in. But, you know what? I find it boring. As a tourist, why would I visit a town/city that offers exactly that same as my hometown does? I ain’t traveling all those miles to see the same clothes on the same rails. I WANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Something unique. Something instagramable. That’s why independent businesses need to ROAR! They need to come dominating over the brands to teach them a good lesson. They should not be allowed to muscle their way over industries. But basic branding lacks in these independent businesses. They lack basic marketing principles.[…]

Getting repeat custom is difficult. However, it actually costs more to get a new customer than to get an existing customer to return, IF done right. For example, did you capture their email address on their first visit? Did they like your Facebook page in a competition? Did they partake in your social media ad you placed on Facebook? Are you collecting the data needed to repeat their custom? If not, change your tactics now. If you are, great! Use that data. Don’t just let it sit in the dust. Got their email address? Send out a newsletter with offers attached. Even better, send a personal email with a personal offer! On Facebook? Drive valuable content to them every day.[…]

A while ago, my grandmother made a statement: “the coffee shop is the new pub”. And I couldn’t agree more. Growing more than 11.2% in sales in 2016, the market is still growing. Its foundations are strong. Thanks to the likes of Starbucks and Coffee Republic to introducing the coffee “fad” to the UK, people have been going mad. Whilst tea still remains the staple homebrew drink of the Britons, when out and about, coffee dominates. I only truly appreciated the dominance of coffee recently. Yes, I understood and have read about its ground-sweeping growth, but until I saw it in practice, I just accepted it as fact. In Wolverhampton, there were various coffee shops including pubs. Then I went[…]

I was in The Cuban Exchange, Wolverhampton, the other day. A regular walks in. Before even a greeting could pass between him and the barmaid, she had a glass under the tap, his pint being poured. That, my friends, is customer service at its finest. Okay, if you have over 100 regulars, it is impossible to remember their pint and find time to do this. But, for those who have a select few regulars, this can go a long way. This reminds the regular that they are valued and they, as an individual, are remembered. This is a certain way to keep their custom. Why will they bother going elsewhere when they’ll have to develop the relationship all over again?[…]

You run a nightclub. With a lot to focus on from security to designing the drinks menu, marketing is another action to add to your long to-do list. For those that aren’t experienced in the art of marketing, this can be daunting. You could hire a specialist to do the work for you (like us!) or you may want to save money and have a pop at it yourself. For those stuck on how to promote their nightclub, or perhaps you’re looking for new ideas, here are 10 ways to set you on the path to success: Target your audience Before we even start promoting, you must first know your audience. I mean, really know your audience. Not just their[…]

Recently, I’ve been looking at running my own Fish and Chips shop. Unfortunately, the funding didn’t work out and that’s the end of that journey. When writing the marketing strategy, I naturally favoured social media marketing. Here are a few ideas I included: Facebook Ads Naturally, I wanted to run Facebook Ads. The cheapest and most effective form of digital marketing, if I missed this off my list, I would be a disgrace to my community. For the first week of opening, we were going to run a discounted menu. For the sake of this article, let’s say it was 50% off. My plan was to use £210 for a one week period before the grand opening (£30 per day)[…]

The power of being an independent bar is that you have control over everything. Drink not selling, scrap it. New trend pops up, capitalize on it. The greatest power you can have is hosting your own themed nights. It’s a big money opportunity. Want the biggest inspiration? Universities’ bars. They have to stay creative to keep students engaged. Some of the best nights are done at a uni bar. Before we get into the juicy content, a warning: know your target market. Whilst I may recommend a night, if your target market is not going to like it, don’t risk it! 1. Charity events. Everyone loves charity. Fundraising for it shouldn’t be boring. It shouldn’t be putting money into a[…]

You’re a restaurant, bar, nightclub or pub. You want bums on seat. Or at least people in your venue. You could pay out thousands of pounds on traditional media. Or you could spend as little as £5 per day on Facebook Ads and drive people through your front door. Surprisingly, not many business owners are aware of the power of social media. They use it personally for their friends and family, and they see the bad side of social media on the news. But they don’t realize they can use it for their business. They neglect their Facebook pages, updating once a month when an important announcement is due. These fools should be posting 1-2 times per day to get[…]

Today’s inspiration comes from Hamish Chadwick on AJP. Check out his article here: https://ajp.com.au/columns/opinion/social-media-rude-responsive/ Guys and gals, wouldn’t you hate if you entered a shop and wasn’t greeted? “That’ll be £12.98. Give me your money. Now go”. That is just unimaginable. It just wouldn’t happen. It’s a sackable offense. So why do so many people – including myself – do it on social media? “Buy this.” “Buy that.” No “Hello, how are you?”. No “Here’s some amazing content to help you guys out.” Straight up selling. It’s just not on. Now, I’m not expecting you to hit up a conversation with everyone in your chatbox – though that would impressive. I’m expecting you to care and provide value. We talked about[…]